Maybe my numbers are wrong, but here goes:

US population is about 300 million
US electric capacity is about 1 TW (around 1200 St. Lucie sized reactors)

If we use Amory Lovins claim that one can get along fine with 25% of US per capita electric capacity (total becomes 0.25 TW), then for a global electric capacity would be:

Capacity = 6.5 billion (world population) * 025 TW / 300 million = ~5.4 TW

Current world capacity is approximately 4 TW, so the world is still short of electricity even if everyone (including the 75% reduction in the US) used the lower value. Since most of the current electric capacity is fossil fired, we are talking about putting in several terawatts worth of power across the globe. Solar and wind require either energy storage to stand alone or they have to be connected to baseload generation. The challenge as I see it is to either develop a cheap means of energy storage or accept a baseload technology until such energy storage is perfected. Geothermal can provide a chunk and maybe OTEC and small-head hydro, but you will likely come up short. The less savory sources (e.g., fission, carbon sequestration, etc.) will probably be needed to fill the gap at least temporarily.

I agree with you that we need to do a better job generating energy (including fairness of impact) as well as finding more efficient ways to use it, however we do need substantial amounts of electricity for our society and we should think about the hard choices.

I was trying to say that even if you get rid of the “stuff” and remember many folks will disagree on what is wasteful and what is beneficial, you will likely be looking at a world that needs 25% – 40% of the US per capita electric capacity. Even if the US disappears, there will be a net electric demand (although a one time increase if population is brought under control). How to supply these thousands of megawatts without carbon will be quite a challenge.

Guyana does not need to become the US, but even they and the rest of the world become half a Switzerland, you have a BIG electric demand. It is simple arithmetic.

Amy – Thanks for this post. I have felt similar feelings after living in Morocco, where of course there are many social problems (many stemming from lack of education and healthcare) but the sense of community was so much stronger than what I’ve experienced in Australia and people genuinely do seem happier in terms of their day-to-day lives.

Travelling around north america these last 7 months, living out of a backpack (and sometimes just a really small bag) I have realised how little material possessions I actually need to survive, and how much happier I am without a lot of stuff around. Especially clothes – when I only have a choice of 1 pair of jeans, a thermal top, 2 t-shirts and one jumper (“sweater” in US lingo), it means I don’t have to think about what to wear and I can just focus on what I’m doing and who I’m with.

I really dislike cities because it makes me feel depressed seeing concrete everywhere – we have distorted the world so much, scarred its face with pavement and skyscrapers. I agree that we should never accept the world as it currently is – and I’m glad we’re changing it, together.

Certainly we should be more efficient and do better job cleaning up our pollution. However, I do not think that most of the globe wants to live like Guyana.